Reviews for Things I Learned about My Dad

The average rating for Things I Learned about My Dad based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-08-26 00:00:00 Terry Johnson Some of these essays literally forced me to turn off my book player because I was laughing so hard I couldn't hear the text. Not all of them were that funny, but one or two of them certainly were. Sarah Brown's essay on admitting she simply loved her dad and got along extremely well with him was a nice change to the widely accepted and hailed idea that dads are the appendix of the family, hanging in there maybe, but not all that useful. I think the second essay in the collection was the funniest and best written of the group. The idea that it may be easier to kick a heroin habit than to endure the withering resentment of a woman who had to give up booze, coffee and more while the guy essentially gives up nothing during a pregnancy was scream-out-loud funny. I was fascinated by what seemed to be a high level of essayists who had once belonged to the ,mormon faith but had renounced it. Both the editor of the collection and presumably her husband fit that category, as does at least one other essay writer. It's not a big deal, since they didn't dwell on the fact, but that skewed perspective fascinated me. Some of these essays felt more like blog entries than what I would call a fully structured essay. But there are enough humorous and otherwise touching moments in here to make it worth the read. There is a good bit of profanity in some of these essays, so those who prefer not to read profanity may want to let this go unread.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-05-26 00:00:00 David West There were about two essays that I did not care for but the rest were very touching in one way or another. I am not close with my father and naturally have never really experienced the intimacy of fatherhood in a sense that I have motherhood. Exploring these close relationships makes me a little sad, and there's a pang of jealousy there too. However, I anticipate the future when I can witness the relationship Scott will have with our kids. I have no doubt in my mind that he will be an amazing dad. There were a couple essays where the father/child relationship was strained and uncomfortable and I felt it and related to it and it made me cry and feel less alone.